“It’s very beautiful out here…” Derpy idly commented as she and Blueblood sat on the balcony outside of his study. As she gazed at the city lights, she thought about the stallion next to her. When she turned her attention to Blueblood, she found him looking at her with appreciating eyes, causing her to blush for a moment before sharply adjusting her head away from him.
Blueblood couldn’t help but laugh, remembering Derpy doing the exact same thing ten years ago when they first met. And she’s still as beautiful… Blueblood turned to the semi-busy metropolis below. A frown formed on Blueblood’s face when a thought came to his mind. “So… Dinky… when is her birthday?” Blueblood asked curiously, his eyes fixed on the lights in the distance.
“In a few months…” Derpy trailed off, taking a large gulp before she sighed and she looked at Blueblood again. “So, after all this time… you were looking for me.” Derpy asked hoarsely, the last word barely coming out as a squeak.
“Yes.” Blueblood¨s eyes locking with hers.
Don’t worry mommy, I’m still here and and I’m sure daddy is looking for us too. Derpy teared up a little as she remembered her daughter saying those words not long ago when she asked about her father. Sometimes I wonder if I really am an idiot… Quickly wiping the liquid from her face, Derpy blinked for a moment as a question came to her mind. “You were looking for me all this time… why didn’t you look in Ponyville?”
“I did… but you weren’t there, so I went looking around the other cities if there were any traces of you… yet you were no where to be found.” Blueblood replied defeatedly as he lowered his head.
“So there were no others after me?” Derpy asked curiously, albeit fearfully as she instinctively leaned in closer to hear Blueblood’s words.
Blueblood shook his head vigorously as he raised it. “Never…” Even though a lot of mares have tried to court me during the years. “There’s only one mare that I will love and she’s sitting right next to me.” Blueblood said truthfully as he smiled fondly at Derpy.
Derpy let out a gasp as she felt her cheeks burning, finding it difficult to breath. She found herself blinking uncontrollably as she was overwhelmed by Blueblood’s words, which had struck a chord in her heart.
“But what about you?” Blueblood redirected the same question her.
“No, I was too preoccupied with finding a way to support myself and raising Dinky to actually think about it.” And I still couldn’t let go of you… Derpy snorted out a laugh as she rolled her eyes. “Besides, I’m not exactly the prettiest mare walking in Equestria today.”
Blueblood cocked his brow at Derpy’s statement. “Who told you that?” He asked her, looking at her as though she sprouted another head.
Derpy shrugged as she looked away, her smile slowly vanishing. “Just some ponies… some peers and some neighbours…” Derpy whispered. Even though they were single themselves. Before Blueblood could reply to Derpy’s words, she began with another question. “So what’s going to happen now?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean… where do we go from here?” Derpy questioned Blueblood as she shuffled her hooves. “It’s not like you can just come back after all this time and expect me to be embraced by you especially when—” Derpy paused abruptly as she caught her breath. “I’m sorry, there I go rambling again.”
Blueblood wanted to hold onto Derpy at that moment, but restrained himself as he bit his lower lip. “It’s okay… I mean, just a few hours ago I find out I’m a father to a filly who I ran into a couple of times in my search for you and I’m still overwhelmed by it…”
“You know, a part of me just wants to smack you so hard for leaving me alone on that morning, yet another part of me just wants to kiss you and let you take me... “ Derpy’s lips quivered a little as she looked down. “Yet most of all… I’m scared,” she admitted as she sagged her shoulders, but gave a shudder as she felt Blueblood’s hoof resting on her.
“Then let’s be scared together…” Blueblood spoke softly as he scooted closer to Derpy, just until his body was barely touching her wings. As they sat alone in the night with the stars shining down on them, both ponies looked up the majestic night that was present.
Derpy’s eyes widened suddenly when another question entered her mind. “Blue…” The stallion acknowledged her in turn as he turned his head to her. “There’s something else I need to know.”
“Of course, what is it?”
“Why…” Derpy began but paused as she gulped down her fears. “Why did you leave me there at the hotel that morning?”
“I… well, I went to buy…” Blueblood went to reach into his saddlebags, then realised he wasn’t wearing them, giving a small chuckle as he smiled at Derpy. “I have something for you, but it’s… we need to get to know each other a bit more before then, if that’s okay with you?”
Derpy nodded before she smiled demurely at Blueblood, leaning in to connect her lips with his for a moment before letting go. “I’d like that,” Derpy said, her cheeks becoming crimson again after she gave him the gentle kiss. She couldn’t help but giggle at Blueblood whose face turned red from the sudden affection he had been given. “What about Dinky? She’ll want to know you more and I don’t want her heart broken if—”
“There’s no way I’m going to abandon my daughter,” Blueblood placed a hoof on Derpy’s mouth to silence her as he smiled reassuringly to her. “She’s my daughter and my blood, and I will not forsake her no matter what... I promise, I will find a way for this to work between us… all of us,” Blueblood said softly as he removed his hoof from Derpy, before he pressed his lips against hers.
“So, Mr Wise… how long have you worked for my daddy?” Dinky asked curiously as she was trotting alongside the elder stallion in the hallways.
Wise Words chuckled as he looked down on the filly with an amused smile. “I have been in service to the master's family just prior to him being born,” Wise Words casually replied, seeing Dinky giggling at his answer. “But before I served for the House of Platinum, I was in the Royal Guard, and reached the Captain of the Solar Guard before I chose to retire.”
“So you were like Prince Shining Armor?” Dinky asked excitedly, her eyes still fixated on Wise.
“Technically he is a Prince-Consort now, but yes… like the former Captain Shining Armor.” Wise Words looked up to see a few guards bowing at their presence. Only a couple of hours later, and they recognize her as a Princess of Equestria… remarkable how fast everything works these days. Wise Words thoughts came to a halt when he saw Dinky’s face forming a frown. “Is there something wrong?” he asked politely as he came to a stop with Dinky doing the same.
Dinky slowly raised her head to face Wise again. “I just hope mommy and daddy will be okay.”
“I’m sure that they will work things out,” Wise comforted Dinky as he ruffled her mane, eliciting another fit of giggles from the filly. “Let me tell you, your father never gave up in his search for your mother,” Wise Words said as he saw Dinky becoming more curious.
“Really?”
“Oh yes… your father never gave up on her, and I have a feeling that she has not given up on him either.” Wise nodded at Dinky as he smiled. “Love will always find a way in the end, if you believe,” he said sagely, cocking his brow at Dinky as she suppressed a laugh.
Dinky cleared her throat before she beamed at Wise Words. “You sound like one of those bards telling love tales.” Dinky remembered a certain mare with a lyre playing at a concert in Ponyville, most of her songs being that of love. As Dinky and Wise walked onwards, Dinky’s attention turned to a large doorway. “What’s in there, Mr Wise?”
“That’s the throne room, the Night Court will start soon,” Wise said as he looked to the entrance. A shame not many ponies seek council at the Night Court...
“Say, Mr Wise… can we go inside, please? I didn't really have time to look earlier.” Dinky asked politely, blinking once to turn her eyes as watery as she could muster, resembling that of a puppy’s. “Please….”
This one is clever, using my greatest weakness against me… Wise sighed as he shook his head, chuckling as he opened the door with his magic. “After you, Miss Dinky.” He gestured her to go inside, waving his hoof towards the opening.
“Yay!” Dinky cheered as she quickly went inside, immediately looking around in wonder at the size of the throne room. When she spotted the empty thrones, Dinky cantered towards them, stopping just before the steps. She tapped her chin for a moment before she grinned broadly, climbing her way up to take a seat in one.
It’s kinda boring, sitting on a big chair like this… I wonder why Diamond Tiara goes on about every foal wanting to sit on the Princesses’ throne? Sitting up straight, Dinky pointed her muzzle to the ceiling and waved a hoof at the door, clearing her throat. “Send in the next pony!”
Both Dinky and Wise Words were surprised when the throne room doors opened as the filly’s shout echoed around the room, then her eyes went wide as Luna walked in. Her horn was glowing, and the candles changed from the usual warm fire to cool blue, and she cocked her head in confusion when she looked towards the thrones. “Pray tell, why is Dinky upon Our chair?”
Before Wise Words could answer her, Dinky jumped off Luna’s throne and pouted as she looked down in shame. “I’m sorry… I was just curious... “ Dinky apologized to Luna, not seeing the gentle smile upon the alicorn.
“T’is alright, my dearest niece…” Luna raised Dinky’s chin with a tender hoof. “You did nothing wrong being here, your presence is always welcomed,” she said soothingly with half-lid eyes. When she removed her hoof from Dinky, the little filly let out a yawn that she quickly covered with both hooves. “Though I believe it is your bedtime now.” Luna nodded to Wise Words who walked towards them. “I wish you a good night, Dinky.” Luna lowered her head to Dinky’s, nuzzling the filly.
“You too, Auntie Luna!” Dinky answered as she nuzzled back, not seeing the blush that was etching upon the princess’ face. As she started to walk with Wise Words towards the door, Dinky’s eyes caught sight of a stallion next to her aunt, whose yellow eye looked back at her.
Feeling intimidated, Dinky started to lean towards Wise Words and looked away from the guard. Dinky’s eyes drifted again to his direction, where she noticed the leathery wings and the blank flank on the guard. He’s scary! Dinky thought as she looked away, finally relaxing as she left the room, leaving Luna behind with her guard.
“She fears me…” The stallion sighed as he walked alongside his princess towards her throne.
“Give her time and she will see you for what you truly are,” Luna reassured him as she took her seat, adjusting her wings to increase her comfort. She ignited her horn with magic, conjuring a scroll before her that she read from. Giving a nod as she finished reading it, she used her magic again to dissipate the scroll before turning to her personal guard. “Now then, have somepony rouse my sister near the end of Night Court… I need to discuss something with her.”
The guard saluted to Luna as she gave him her order. “Yes, Night-mistress!” Then he walked into a shadow and disappeared from sight.
Scarlet eyes roamed over the large gathering of mostly unicorns together in one of the most prestigious ballrooms in Canterlot, coming after the castle of course. Running a hoof over her sun-orange dress, Amber Vain slowly moved forward in the line of other noble ponies to greet their hosts for the evening. It took her a few minutes to get there, and when she did, the waiting mare pulled her into a loose embrace.
“Lady Vain, darling, it has been too long.”
“It certainly has, Lady Crust, and I’m happy to be back.”
Pulling away, Amber joined the rest of the ponies moving around. As she expected, the small talk of the evening surrounded the news from the castle, but she kept her own thoughts to herself as she greeted her fellow ponies from the upper class. Spotting the refreshments table, she started to make her way over, but was stopped when another mare stepped in front of her.
“That’s a nice dress you’re wearing, Amber.”
Amber stepped back and bowed her head a little, letting her eyes roam over the other unicorn. For an elder mare, she kept up an attractive physical appearance, not a sign of grey in the purple parts of her mane. Unlike most of the nobles, she simply wore a red sash to designate her status, which was draped around her light grey coat, and her light arctic blue eyes still sparkled with youthful mischievousness
“Dame Velvet, you honour me.”
“You honour yourself, given the philanthropic work that you do. Come, walk with me.” Amber did as she was asked, trotting along beside the mare, who was heading to a booth at the side of the room, where an azure stallion with a dark blue mane and amber eyes sat waiting. “You know my husband, Night Light, of course.”
Amber nodded politely to the stallion.
“And I don’t think you’ve actually met formally, but this is my daughter, Twilight Sparkle.”
Unsure why she had been singled out to meet a Dame’s daughter, Amber slowly turned her eyes to the other side of the booth, looking at the younger mare. I know that name from somewhere, but where… Let’s see, lavender coat, indigo mane with pink and purple stripes, and a horn AND wings! Amber bowed lower than when Dame Velvet approached her.
“Princess Sparkle, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Please, just call me Twilight. Come, join us for a drink, won’t you?”
For some reason, Amber grew wary, as it was not every day royalty asked a pony to spend time with them without prior appointment. Still, she slid into the booth next to Twilight Sparkle, whilst Dame Velvet sat next to Night Light, resting her head against his shoulder.
Realising there wasn’t anything with which to sate their thirst, Amber was about to offer to collect the drinks when a giant earth pony walked over, a silver tray upon his back. Amber let her eyes wander over his massive muscles, and down to his taut hindquarters. She waited until he placed the tray down and moved away slightly, turning to Twilight just as she took a sip from her drink.
“Well, the help has certainly improved in quality since last I visited Jet Set and Upper Crust.”
Twilight tried to gasp at the same time as to drink, almost choking as it went down the wrong hole, and she began to cough, expelling the drink onto her father, who was clearly unamused. Giving an awkward giggle, Twilight levitated a napkin over and began to clean the stallion up, whilst looking pleading at her mother, who stared back with a cheeky smile.
“Twilight, why don’t you call him over before he gets our food?”
Amber was very confused as to what was going on as Twilight’s horn flashed once, Amber looking at Twilight’s father to see he didn’t understand things either. A moment later the earth pony appeared once more, this time from the other side of the booth, sliding in next to Twilight.
Amber’s instincts told her now would be a good time to leave, but it would be considered extremely rude to do so, even worse to ask for permission, so there she stayed as Dame Velvet smiled at the earth pony, Night Light glared, and Twilight Sparkle gulped a few times.
“Mom, dad, I’d like you to meet my special somepony, Big Macintosh.”
Amber wanted to crawl into the deepest, darkest hole she could find, now realising how much of a social faux pas she had just made, but it seemed to be overlooked thanks to the other news. She watched as Night Light silently motioned the earth pony to follow him, then got up from the booth, Dame Velvet giving a slightly disappointed sigh. She then turned her gaze upon Amber.
“So, Miss Vain, as the conversation subject tonight seems to be relationships, how is that stallion you’re after?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” she replied happily, though internally she was screaming. I bet he’s more than fine with that bastard foal of his right now. “I still haven’t plucked up the courage to talk to him though, at least not again.” I can’t believe that lower class mare that tried to gain Blueblood’s affection three years ago made this dress, nor that she is highly recommended by both Fleur and Sapphire Shores.
“Well, perhaps my daughter can give you some advice on how to woo him? Worry not, we will not ask you to tell us his name, but perhaps you can give us a few hints, hmm?”
Amber lifted up the silver goblet in front of her, taking a large sip of the red wine contained within as she considered Dame Velvet’s proposal. It is highly unlikely Dame Velvet has not heard the news from the castle… but still, Princess Sparkle was a highly sought after mare, even before her crown.
Dame Velvet is rumoured to have had hundreds of suitors vying for her horn in marriage. Maybe they can help. Setting her goblet down, Amber smiled at Dame Velvet, then to Princess Sparkle. “I am in your debt. Please, I’d appreciate any help I can get.”
Katakans, ponies that had become lost in the forgotten legends of Equestria, large ponies with leathery wings and eyes with large irises and small pupils, made for a frightful sight. Mostly nocturnal, they survived by their base desires, to eat and procreate, which they did so heartily.
At least, until Luna stumbled upon one of their colonies on the isle of Dragmire in the South Quiet Sea during the year after her return, when she explored most of the known world to see for herself how things had changed. Unlike the nearly overwhelming majority of academics’ opinion, Luna knew the truth, and was pleased to see the descendants of her ancient guards had indeed survived into the new world.
She observed them for several weeks, watching as the mares selected their mates based on one category; how well they were endowed. Unfortunately, the generation she discovered knew nothing of her nor the world outside their colony, and when she presented herself to them, hundreds of Katakans turned their eyes upon her with a savage hunger. She was forced to defend herself, wiping out that colony, but leaving one survivor who had become injured, yet stayed out of further conflict with the alicorn. With his help, she found other colonies, and succeeded in reaching an understanding with them.
Shaking her head, Luna gave a wistful sigh as she looked at the throne room doors, which had remained shut all evening. As per usual, Luna’s night court received no visitors, the throne room containing the Lunar Diarch and several of her reinstated guards. Unless a pony knew where exactly to look in the darkened room, these large ponies remained hidden from sight within the shadows, their golden eyes occasionally reflecting the blue flames that flickered on every pillar.
Turning her bored gaze from the still doors to the space just to the right of her throne, Luna studied the only visible Katakan, her Lunar Corps Captain, and she marveled at the muscle bound pegasus stallion. Singling him out from the other Katakans was a black patch over his left eye, the only thing he had lost when Luna wiped out his colony.
Although Luna was in his blind spot, she knew the stallion had other senses that allowed him a complete view of the room, thus when her gaze drifted towards his flank, she was not surprised when his wing blocked her view and he let out a small growl. Luna pouted, but knew it was a moot point as even if he could see her facial expression, he’d ignore it.
A sudden high pitched squeak followed by a sickening crunch drew Luna’s gaze to one of the far corners, where she could hear slow chewing coming from, and it brought a smile to her face. Not only were the Katakans amazing guards, they also made for excellent pest control, especially when it came to rats.
“Bastard,” came a deep, gravelly voice from Luna’s side, the Katakan stood there speaking his mind. “I was gonna eat that one.” Luna said nothing, closing her eyes and smirking as she leaned back on the throne, breathing lightly; contrary to what most ponies thought, Luna was not awake throughout the night and slept for most of it. She only dozed lightly for a few moments before her ear flicked at the sound of sniffing. “Night-mistress, your sister approaches.”
Luna sat up just as the doors to the throne room opened and Celestia stepped in, her normally flowing mane and tail hanging limp around her, purple pyjamas covering most of her white body. Celestia trotted up the steps to the thrones and settled into hers, looking at her sister with tiredness in her eyes.
“Why did you summon me at this hour, Lulu?”
“We must discuss your decision, Tia.” Luna looked around the room, then turned to the stallion to her right. “Deadeye, leave us.” He gave a nod, then thrust one of his wings out and waved it at the door. Nine other Katakans, four of them female, stepped from the shadows and bowed to the alicorns, then turned and left. Once the doors closed again, Luna looked to Celestia with a frown. “Word has already spread throughout the city as to Blueblood’s concubine, as they are calling her, and the ponies are demanding to know who she is.”
“It’s not like I told Raven to put it in the Canterlot Daily,” Celestia replied with an annoyed huff, having had to fend off requests for a meeting from many nobles during the rest of her day court and during her evening meal with some of them. “It is possible that somepony overheard the news and either could not recognise the secrecy or keep such joyous news to themselves.”
“You knew, didn’t you,” Luna asked accusingly, narrowing her eyes at her sister. “You knew the filly was his daughter, and yet you said nothing. What kind of aunt are you?”
“Luna! How dare you say such things!” The blue alicorn saw tears forming in her sister’s eyes, and she turned her gaze away in shame. “If you must know, I did not make the connection until a couple of hours before Blue found out himself. You know even we can not go against the deep magic of Equestria without dire consequences, and it told me to wait a little longer.”
“I… I am sorry, Tia. Knowing some of the things Blue has had to deal with over the years, I can’t but get the idea of somepony using sweet Dinky as a weapon against him or her mother.” Luna accepted the embrace of her sister when she felt hooves around her, leaning against Celestia’s side.
“I have the same feeling, but if they do, we shall set Deadeye onto them, right?” Celestia turned her gaze to the empty room. “You can come out, I know you are still here.” A strange black mist seeped from the shadows, darkening even where the light touched, and it took a few moments to coalesce into the physical form of a pony. Stepping in view, the one eyed stalling bowed before the two alicorns. Giving her sister a nuzzle and a wink, Celestia stood and trotted towards the doors, pausing to look over her shoulder at her. “You should get to bed, Lulu. There might be someponies that need you in their dreams.”
“You are right, Tia. Good night.” Once her sister was out of view, Luna turned her gaze upon her still present captain, her features turning into a soft glare. “Deadeye, for disobeying orders and eavesdropping, you shall come with me into the dreamscape.”
Running as fast as she could, a unicorn filly made her way through the ruins of Canterlot City. There were no other ponies present at all, but things lurked in the shadows, and her only safe haven were sporadically spaced street lights. Coming across one in the middle of an empty square, Dinky Hooves leant against it and caught her breath, red eyes staring at her from the darkness, along with a single golden one.
Just like all of the other areas she rested in, the light began to flicker, and she built up her courage for another long sprint to safety, but she didn’t know how long she could keep it up. She waited until the last moment possible before taking off at a full gallop, knowing that the creatures would soon be upon her.
Her path led her into part of the gardens of Canterlot Castle, one that held a special meaning to her, and it was here that she hoped to find help. When Dinky arrived at a certain spot, the light was already beginning to flicker, yet the two ponies she hoped to see were not present.
“Mama? Daddy? Where are you?”
Her only answer came from the shadows that now surrounded her, shrieks and growls that got closer as the light above her began to fade. When it went out the creatures moved, the red eyes coming in fast, but there was no sign of the golden one.
Dinky screamed as she felt something cover her body, recognising the feel of a wing, but no feathers were present at all. She could hear the sound of fighting around her, but that soon died down, and the light above her returned, the wing on her back gone, but she was still not alone.
Dinky stepped back with a frightened gasp as she beheld a pony like being, with one weary golden eye looking at her, the other covered with a black patch. Its fur was dark grey, the mane and tail two tones of blue. Upon its body was silver and blue armour, the chest piece having a single blue eye.
Instead of claiming its prize of Dinky, it simply lay down on the grass and lowered its head. “Have no fear, for I am here to serve you, my young princess.” The voice was deep and masculine, yet somewhat calming to Dinky, who stepped a little closer.
When she did, she noticed several bloody marks down his side, and that he was panting heavily. A loud shriek from the shadow behind her caused her to bolt forward, squeezing between the stallion’s forelegs. Even when the light went out again the shadow creatures did not attack, a terrifying peace that seemed to last for hours settling in.
Once the area was illuminated once again, Dinky saw another stallion and a mare that she easily recognised, and the stallion holding her tightly let her go. She immediately ran to the others and jumped into their outstretched forelegs, sobbing loudly.
Sitting up with a scream, Dinky looked around to see she was where she had fallen asleep. Her fur was damp with sweat and the strange memories still fresh in her mind. She let out another scream as she felt hooves wrap around her and she was pulled against a pony’s chest. It took her a moment to collect herself, but when she did, she looked up to see a pair of worried blue eyes staring at her.
“Dinky?”
“I… I had a bad dream, daddy,” came a shaky response as Dinky’s tears began to fall into Blueblood’s chest.
“Want to talk about it?”
“T-there were things with r-red eyes and one w-with a gold eye. I-I couldn’t find y-you or mommy. The g-gold eye protected m-me from the red e-eyes.”
Single gold eye… protecting a filly… Thank you, auntie Lulu. “It’s alright, you’ll meet him in the morning. Now come, forget the bad dream, and let’s get back to sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you whilst you’re with me.” Blueblood leant down and kissed Dinky on the cheek, the filly nuzzling him in return. He kept her close to his chest as she drifted off again, waiting until she was in deep slumber before he lay himself back down and closed his own eyes.
“Your kind came from the shadows, therefore the shadow creatures of the dreamscape can hurt you. I am sorry, I should have remembered,” Luna said as she applied some antiseptic cream to the deep cuts in her captain’s side. Once his wounds were clean, she laid dressing over the top and wrapped a bandage around his barrel. “Take the rest of the night off, and sleep with my blessings, Deadeye.”
Luna lay a gentle kiss upon the forehead of the exhausted guard, then stepped from his quarters and nodded to the two Katakans stood outside the door. They returned the gesture, watching as their Night-mistress entered through a set of double doors, each one etched with a half moon, signifying who the room belonged to.
The Katakans in the corridor moved into the shadows, disappearing from sight.
Seriously, who doesn't have puppy dog eyes as their greatest weakness?
(p.s. I had to stop reading just to comment on how amusing I found that line to be. )
Edit: Now that I have read the chapter in full, I think I like this description for the Katakans.
This was a great chapter. I loved it. I love the love triangle starting to form. I can't wait to see how Canterlot reacts to Derpy and Dinky. Good luck.
Oh, dear. I think I know what Amber's after.......
I should have seen THAT long ago, though.
Eligible bachelor, rich, handsome and....as far as anypony knows.....unattached.
Can't wait to see how the events unfold.
5441427 Oh my...
She was forced to defend herself, wiping out that colony
how is wiping out a whole colony selfdefense???
Welp, I'm officially shipping Deadeye and Luna, I don't even care if there's a good chance they're completely uninvolved.
I think you meant to say "the one eyed stallion", you might want to look over the chapter for other possible errors.
5443154
Thank you for spotting that typo
5443038 think of it this way they all were attacking her even as they were slaugtered they STILL attacked her save dead eye hence why he survived WHAT WOULD YOU DO they were feral acting on instinct
deadeye was injured so that probably knocked so sense into him
5443163 wait and confuse aren't bat ponies called that thestivals? (ignore the bad spelling) plus, Katakans is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin script. please answer them, I am so confused!
5442924 I don't have that weakness, as I'm a heartless bastard. And glad to see they're well received.
5442965 Ding ding, we have a winner.
5443038 Pretty much this 5443165
5443045 Shippers, shippers ahoy!
5443185 Bat ponies are usually called 'threstrals', but we didn't want to use either of those names, so I spoke to the person who edits my own fics and asked for a good name. In this case, Katakans are vampire like creatures in The Witcher universe. Hope that clears up any confusion. Edit; yes, they are omnivores, but not vampire ponies.
5443163 your welcome, I like to look through my posted chapters every few weeks to see if I can find any typos, I recommend you do a similar practice.
I burned through this chapter so fast it's not even funny.
5443038 my guess is that with the entire colony trying to eat her they didn't leave her much of a choice
... All the pieces just came together for me in this chapter...
Amber didn't have the power to get away with anything she was doing, she only thought she would be getting it soon enough. "Bachelor Blueblood" provided an aura of "he's any other spoiled aristocrat she could eventually manipulate into marriage". So she took those great risks assuming that soon enough she'd be in the Princes figurative pants and more or less secure in wealth and power. However she was unaware of the level of farce in it because he was looking for a mare he had already given his heart to. Once its announced that Blueblood is in a happy relationship and his "bastard" is given the title of Princess, Amber's plans will fall entirely apart. So in her rational actor stages her plans hinged on resources she only assumed she get, a bad (in my mind stupid given how dependent the plan was on them and how uncertain the chances of getting them were) mistake but not irrationality.
However once the relationship with Derpy is outed for what it actually is rather than what the press is reporting and Dinky is given her titles, all those plans will have imploded. Not only is Blueblood no longer single but it will be clear he won't be so easily manipulated by her. All those plans will fall apart. Their would be no way I could see to win except find a way to get the blame passed around to others and cut losses, or just flat out surrender. That would be the rational method to the best of my knowledge. Story structure tells me we'll have no such luck.
There are four primary ways I can see this going now.
1. Amber attempts to engineer some sort of second/third act misuderstanding cliche seen in many roms and rom coms...
2. Amber goes on Roaring Rampage of Revenge devoid of most if not all rational planning...
3. Amber mentally crashes and is left with nothing but a padded room...
4. Amber decides to take her own life rather than be caught and punished...
Hopefully our protagonists can prepare for and contain the crisis that is about to occur...
This chapter is such genius that it just isn't funny, man...
And calling the bat ponies 'Katakans' instead of 'thestrals'...
I think I like it actually...yes, I am sure I do.
But Velvet and Night Light as posh ponies? I never really imagined them as such. I mean, just because they live in Canterlot I didn't think they'd actually be nobles for it. But then I suppose they have to be nobles for this chapter to work. I'm not complaining mind you, I personally just don't imagine Twilight's parents being high class. But then I don't see a lot of character to them in the show, so I don't know what to make of them.
And of course Twilight gets Macintosh. XD It's always the one who's most hung. XD I'm sorry, I mean no disrespect to you man. Honest to god, I love this chapter. I'm interested to see how Amber Vain plays Twilight and her parents for information and uses it to her advantage.
Keep me updated with new chapter previews, dude! You and Lucky rock!
I need to up my game with my own stories, man...XD
Oh, and Featured again? You awesome son of a bitch, you! (hundreds of thousands of people applaud you)
5443318 I hope it's the first one that you listed. Some clichés are pretty funny done right.
5443204
Witcher reference FTW, even if it was obscure enough that I missed it. I really need to find a translation of the novels.
...and so Amber turns out to be a Gold Digger, not realizing that her intended target sees her as his sworn enemy. Also, he's taken. She is hosed. That said, her actions so far hint that she still has resources of her own. She was able to at least partially subvert the loyalty of several Royal (Solar?) Guards, after all. The fact that a Guard loyal only to the Throne was in a position to undermine her plans does not change the fact that she was able to get as far as she did in the first place. She is going to cause some actual serious damage before she's run to ground, mark my words.
5443781
But if done in a wrong way, then it wouldn't be funny... Just more annoying...
5444402 less just hope for the latter. I like seeing characters digg themselves into their own graves.
I caught two vidya references: "Dragmire" is Ganon's surname in Zelda: A Link to the Past, and "katakans" refers to Manfred Trenz's space shooter Katakis. Any more that I've missed?
5443318 The puzzle pieces are here, but not yet complete. Some are still jumbled. As for the way things are going... a little from all columns.
5443460 Why do you think Twilight was admitted to the school in the first place? Because let's face it, in the flashback to how she got her cutie mark, her first bit of magic was simply turning a page in a book. I'm sure most unicorns can do that, so Twilight needed something else to gain her admittance, such as her mother being a Dame.
"Princess, my filly really likes magic."
"Oh? That's nice, Dame velvet."
"No, you misheard me. My filly really magic. She might need to go to a certain school."
"...I see. She'll still have to attend an entrance exam, and will not be accepted if she fails."
"We are in agreement then. Good day, Princess."
Hold on... you're making this kind of reference and said we can't do... you know, that? I've already started it anyways.
5443893 Issue 1: All it initially was between the two of them was Blueblood offering to walk her home, to make sure she got there safe. It turned into something else when they went for a drink. Why did she never ask the hotel clerk? Because she thought he had paid for the room and took it as a one night stand.
Issue 2: Blueblood's description of Derpy would go something like this; 'Grey coat, blonde mane, and the most amazing golden eyes in which a pony could get lost for hours.' Plus, Blueblood never actually had an muffins at that Gala Derpy attended, nor knew she baked them, so how could he asked Celestia about the bakery?
Issue 3: Of course she doesn't, they never exchanged names, it was simply him escorting her home and it turning into a date. Whilst most would offer their names, perhaps these two felt it wasn't needed that night. You'd have to ask UniqueSKD, as he wrote the story this is a sequel of.
Issue 4; If you read it correctly, he did clear his schedule. Whilst we have him in a job, his department is located within the castle, so if he's needed urgently they can summon him pretty quickly. As above, Blueblood didn't notice the way Derpy's eyes are distinctive, nor does he care, for she is beautiful to him. I'll admit, we didn't consider looking at town hall records, and that was an oversight on our part, but he does meet one of the other flyers later. Just remember, once he saw Derpy in picture, he ignored everything else in it.
5444350 If someone reports a crime to the police, are the police not duty bound to intervene? This is what happened with Amber and the guards. And just you wait until things get... physical.
5444612 I haven't played a Zelda game since the SNES, and not sure of Myth, but if you click the link you'll see 'Dragmie' island in the ocean directly to the left of where it says 'The Lost World'. As for 'Katakis', I have no idea what they are. Our Katakans' name came from here.
Well, Amber's true motives are revealed. She stands no chance, but is so blinded she'll have no way in hell to see it.
Ah well, this will be amusing. Or painful. Probably painful as she's a heartless bitch.
Anyway, onwards!
Also, that map you linked is gigantic
5445257
The World is much bigger than what ponies think
5445012 Dude, I was joking about the Macintosh thing. I said that meaning it as humor. Honestly the fact that you guys didn't put explicit material in your story and it's been featured god knows how many times shows you don't need that kind of material in your writing.
Also, didn't Twilight need to prove herself to unicorn judges rather than the Princess herself? I think I recall Celestia just casually strolling by the school when she noticed Twilight's raw magic powers. Not that it matters anyway. Making her parents dames and dukes or whatever actually opens up potential plot paths to make this fanfic more interesting...
5445012
...so basically, her past appearances only make it look like she's a Chessmaster, but in actuality we've been giving her too much credit.
5445257 There is a chance, a terrible chance, and you will hate me when we get there. Me, not Myth, as I'm the evil mastermind who thought of it.
5445994 Actually, once a story gets featured, it normally appears in the bottom three slots, but only once per day I think. And the part about Twilight Velvet was me joking around this time, but it would be an interesting road to explore, no?
5446296 No, she's a chessmaster... but she's playing against those who have played longer, and have learned when to gracefully bow out.
5447471 Burp. Okay then.
5451122 Yes, but at this point, all they can see is the horn, so to them it's just a unicorn.
Okay just wondering.
Not bad, but all this stuff about Luna's guards seems pretty half-baked....
5455273 Could you explain why you think it's 'half baked?'
5455335 The backstory, and history, I mean, look at it... Choosing mates just by the size of their "packages"? Destroying a whole village when she was the one at fault? Deadeye? Come on, look at all this...it's like the guy isn't even trying here....
5455353 They had gone almost feral, so acting on their base desires is only natural. Colony, not village, and how can she be at fault for merely approaching? They attacked her, and only one had the sense not to continue attacking her after being injured. As for his name... I'm sorry, I didn't know this was a 'naming audition'.
It may seem half-baked to you, but it was discussed at length and agreed upon between all parties involved in creating this story. If that is not to your liking...
troll.me/images/psychotic-river/theres-the-door.jpg
5455396 Ok, first of all, I never said I didn't like this, as a matter of fact, I do like this story, very much, which is why I composed that previous message, to give feedback, and possibly help to make the story better, also, you decide to call the guy Deadeye? Seriously, that's like all shades of ironic, plus who names their kids that, pony or otherwise? Also, I've seen Luna fight, both as Luna and as Nightmare Moon, and she can definitely incapacitate a small army without permanently harming them, lightning bolts anypony?.. also, for someone who can enter and observe others' dreams, she's not exactly diplomatic, here, she can at least learn basic body language and how things work, before she starts integrating them back into society, that is, if that's actually for the good for themselves, plus, even a colony of sapients has some degree of communication, even if they revert to baser instincts....
P.S. Also, what, no disguise spell to turn into one of them?
5455430 Well, your first comment seems to be going on the assumption this is all we'll be seeing of them. Spoiler alert; we wouldn't put them in if we didn't have plans for them. Now then, the issue of the name; you'll have to wait, it is something that will come up. Next, fighting. How exactly do you incapacitate a creature that can meld into the shadows? If you missed that part, read it again and you'll see they have that ability. Not exactly diplomatic? So she should have manipulated their dreams to accept her and take away their free will?
PS. Disguise herself as one of them to what, earn their trust? And then betray that trust when she reveals who she really is? I dunno about you, but that'd piss me off.
5455483 No, not manipulate them, observe them, learn from them...
Also, where's the one place shadows can't be? Under direct light... and Luna can make a LOT of light, like against King Sombra, granted her sister was there, too, but she does have a certain degree of control over the moon and can utilize various properties associated with it, including moonlight,.... also, I had a feeling we'd be seeing more of them, that's why I wanted to speak up about the name thing....
For the disguise part, even if it was seen as a so-called betrayal, any of them who had learned enough of the outside world and such, due to her intervention, would have understood that she would had reasons for her actions, and even if the majority didn't forgive her at first, as long as she kept working towards earning their forgiveness, that is, if she truly believed that their friendships were something she truly valued having in her life, they would've forgiven her eventually, those who truly mattered to her and vice-versa, anyway.....
5455543
Which moves the shadows.
That to me is lying, and I would not like to be a friend nor serve someone who is willing to lie to gain my trust.
So, Twilight's parents are of status, and nepotism didn't seem involved with Twilight. I'm impressed.
I really like the backstory for the lunar guards.
hahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAno.
5456105 It beat the bug pony queen, didn't it? And before you ask, the Katakans did fight. Changelings are reportedly tough to chew.
5455543 Alright, there are quite a few points to bring to light here in your large comment chain with Lucky, so let's go ahead and start with your first comment.
I, personally, feel like it was anything but half-baked. The story of a race that she created/discovered (Sorry about that, but I have a bad memory and an even worse attention span) that could live freely in her night and the shadows it brought forth, instead of shunning it like the ponies that worshiped, both figuratively and literally, her sister. The fact that they were able to survive even after a thousand years had passed attested to their not only great strength, but their ability to stay hidden in the shadows, just as their princess intended. Then when she returned, it made sense that they had forgotten about her, because not only had a thousand years passed, but Luna/Nightmare Moon had straight up vanished from the face of the earth. That could mean that the ones that DID remember and/or know her personally, were likely shunned for believing anyone but Celestia controlled the moon. This is not a half-baked scene at all, and is in fact a rather complex one.
NEXT comment of yours:
Choosing mates by the size of their schlong is actually a fairly common practice in the wild. I'll give you that it's usually who's the strongest, or whoever is the alpha, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. And while Luna may have been at fault for just barging in like she did, they were even worse off due to the fact that the minute they saw an "Intruder" inside their colony, they immediately became hostile. Now, pardon me if I'm wrong, but that's a real fuckin dick move, especially if it's towards the goddess of the moon, or whatever totle you wanna give her. And there's nothing wrong with Deadeye. In the fight, his eye got removed, therefore it was dead. It's a bit ironic, and more than a little cheesy, but the name itself is rather badass, and shows that he is a true warrior in his own respect. And I'll have you know that Myth is trying very hard, thank you very much.
Yet another comment:
Straight up calling out the authors for having a "Half-baked" portion of their story is a very strange way of showing that you like it, criticism or not. And once again with the name, I'm fairly certain it was given to him when he decided to side with the princess, but you may correct me if I am wrong. We already went over the ironic name thing, so let's move on. And where on earth have you seen Luna and Nightmer Moon fight? Nightmare I can understand, that was in an actual canon episode. But when does Luna herself fight? Never in the show, as far as I know. And dreamwalking? You're seriously gonna try to justify that? THAT is an incredibly easy way to get yourself hunted down and killed by the feral ponies that can meld into shadows, night princess or not. It's an incredible invasion of privacy, and the only reason Equestrian ponies allow her to do it in the first place is likely because she is one of their beloved rulers, as well as one of their many great villains. They let her out of respect and fear, things that the colony have neither of for her. So, invading their dreams? Even to stave off nightmares? No. Horrible idea. The disguise spell is an even WORSE idea! Since they are animals in their nature, they have specific ways to communicate, and different ways to tell who is who. The fact that not only would a fully grown outsider, presumably a mare, suddenly be walking around in the colony, but there would be an aura of Luna's magic likely surrounding her at all times, although that part is debatable, makes that a bad idea. The minute one of the ponies smelled her, or looked at her funny, all hell would break loose, and she wouldn't stand a chance.
Alright, last but certainly not least:
Okay, I don't even really need to say anything aboutthis first part. Fall of the Crystal Empire is not at all canon, and unless the author says so, has nothing to do with this story. It's fuckin weird that you would even bring that up, and I feel like you should stay on the subject at hand. And which of them would have learned from the outside world? They have been secluded from civilized pony society for a thousand years at least, and what they did know about them? They probably learned from them when equestrians acted the same way they do, or something along those lines. And the whole "forgiveness" thing? Bullshit. They are animals, in every meaning of the word. Forgiveness is not something animals do. Animals that forgive get left behind when the predators come and I don't know if you noticed, but ponies are not like humans. They aren't apex predators, they simply know how to speak and build houses.
So, why do you think it was half-baked? Well, you're unable to see past anything that's even slightly off from what you think the story should be like. The only reson I'm having to rant at you like this is because you're way of thinking makes you want to be the writer instead of Myth, and that makes you question and disagree with many things he does, but in the end you're just being a troll, and nobody likes a troll. Seriously, from me to you, go fuck yourself. Myth and Lucky have better things to do than deal with people who think themselves critics when they're just douchebags that think their stupid bullshit claims are worth anyone's time.
I could be wrong about you though. You really could've been trying to give him constructive criticism, but you didn't realize how much of a fuckin asshole you sounded like, but that's not likely. And I know what you're gonna say now. "What a fucking asshole! I should reply and give him a piece of my mind, and clear my name!" Don't. As soon as I hit the post comment button, I will cease to care about this conversation, and if you continue to reply to me, then you can aaaaaall you want. But just know this; I have said my piece, and you have said yours many times now. There's no reason for this to continue, unless you can't get that through your thick skull long enough to just enjoy the damn story as it comes out instead of behaving like a child having a god damn temper tantrum.
Have a nice fucking day.
5456148 Well, the bug pony queen was an idiot pussy of a ruler.
Not pussy as in female, but pussy as in afraid.
But she is female.
I will admit, however, that love can give power and cause people to do stupid things, sometimes through manipulation.
The same can be said about many other things, mainly emotion. Emotion leads to burst of strength, dedication, purpose, stupidity, manipulation, and clouded judgement. Logic provides long-term power. Now, this just goes into the debate of red vs. blue, and to see how well that ends up, just look at any aggro deck vs. a control deck. Jund Monsters vs. Esper Control. RDW vs. a well-built mono-blue (which I will admit, are rare and not as good as they could be. Blue is a great support color, but not primary).
5456509
They are, yet, more cognitively advanced than elephants. And elephants, I might mention, display many of the 'higher' traits such as empathy and defense of the weak among them.
Ponies are not 'human', yet they most certainly are an advanced extraterrestrial species not far behind where humans were merely a century ago technologically.
I suggest analyzing them with your eyes open rather than clouded with simian hubris.
5442965 Yeah, sounds about right to me, too.
Anyway, nice chapter. I kinda fear for Derpy and Dinky getting into politics, here.
You know, I still don't get the choosing mates criteria here, I mean, don't ponies have sheaths for starters, and what about courtship rituals, also, they had a pretty good civilisation 1000 years ago, if you look at the Crystal Empire, so even if they were ostracized, they would still have some degree of civilization, though it would be rather different compared to a town like Ponyville, maybe like those swamp ponies that Applebloom and Applejack delivered pies too...
Now things are setting up for Derpy and Dinky with the politics and every bad guy in the book will go after Blueblood's family the dark times are coming. I will wait and see what will happens next excellent job bravo, onward.
I have to ask, Im curious as to who drew this map. link please?
The map image will not display due to errors it seems.
There are some things that confuse me, Amber Vain is talking about Rarity being a lower class mare even though she has connections in the high society. And she acts as if she didn't know Twilight Sparkle was a princess or that Twilight Velvet had a daughter at all, so she must not be very well informed of things that are going on around her.